Croz Walsh's Blog -- New Zealand and Fiji: How Much Fairer They Could Be

This is essentially a political blog on Fiji. Readers seeing this Good Friday article may suspect a change in direction.  If they read on,  they will see just how relevant Fr Kevin Barr's religious reflections are to Fiji's political situation.
 A Good Friday Reflection  Kevin J. Barr
Too many Christians today have spiritualised the death of Jesus and are satisfied to say simply that Jesus died for our salvation – “the blood of the Lamb has washed away our sins”. While this may be true theologically, these Christians tend to ignore the stark reality of the gospel story and the real historical context in which Jesus lived, preached and died. Moreover this approach can keep us trapped in a devotional Christianity often unrelated to the world in which Jesus lived and in which he preached his message of the Kingdom.

By Kevin J. Barr

The Poverty Alleviation Unit estimates that in recent years $1.5bn has been spent on poverty alleviation programmes yet poverty does not seem to decrease. Rather it seems to be on the increase. Why is that?
My opinion is that while government is spending money on poverty alleviation programmes for urban and rural areas: It is not sufficient for the needs; Many of the policies government follows negate the effects of the poverty alleviation programmes.

SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER WEEKEND READINGS AND FRIDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT ON BLOG CHANGES.

Allen Lockington is a self-employed customs agent and business consultant who has regular articles published in Fiji. I thank Allen for permission to reprint some of them in this political blog. They remind us that life goes on, whatever the political situation. And it's good to know that.

Protect Our Records

When the raging rhino shoves aside Australia and NZ Zealand to woo China and its own Melanesian brothers Thakur Ranjit Singh
As the aroma of the authentic Fijian lovo (hangi) pig and the sumptuous spicy chicken curry cooked in Indo-Fijian style drifted from the lavishly laid buffet table, the tang of delicious Fijian kokoda (raw fish in coconut milk and lemon) simultaneously hit the olfactory nerves. This made it difficult for the Pacific delegates to choose what to eat. However, there was no such dilemma when it came to show support for Fiji and Bainimarama’s path for the nation.

Time to Rethink When 'Bad Guy' is King of Pacific
By Graham Davis* Source: The Australian/PacNews
Australia’s impotence in influencing events in its own back yard is being demonstrated in dramatic fashion this week as Fijian leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama fulfils his long-held ambition to assume the chairmanship of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

All the other Melanesian leaders - from Papua New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu plus the Kanak FLNKS from New Caledonia - are joining him for the group's summit in Suva tomorrow. It's also being attended by representatives from Indonesia, East Timor and - strangely - the European Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

The humiliation for Australia and New Zealand comes with the authority Bainimarama will now wield as the leader of a virile regional grouping - backed by the Chinese - that's increasingly regarded as more important than the long-established Pacific Islands Forum.

The School of Economics at the University of the South Pacific organised a panel discussion on “Fiji’s Second International Bond Issue” on 30th March, 2011 at USP’s Marine Studies Lecture Theater in Suva.

N0312. NEW PACIFIC ROVING AMBASSADOR. Another indication of Government's intention of developing closer ties with its Pacific neighbours is the appoint of Mrs. Litia Mawi as Roving Ambassador/ High Commissioner and Special Envoy to the Pacific Island Countries.

Until recently a career public servant, Mrs Mawi was Fiji’s First Secretary then Counsellor at the Fiji Embassy in Tokyo under the Qarase government. and a Permanent Secretary and the Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade under the Bainimarama government. She retired from the public service in late 2009 when she travelled extensively overseas for personal and professional reasons.  She has just returned from Tuvalu and a one-year consultancy for the UN as an International UN Volunteer Specialist in Aid Management and Coordination assigned to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Funafuti, Tuvalu. -- Based on No.776/MOI.

N0313. BIG PLANS FOR HEALTH. Fiji should have a facility within the next fi…

N0306. SUGAR AND WATER. What with the meteoric rise in the price of sugar, due to it being imported from Thailand, and Lautoka and parts of the West being without water for 37 hours,  it's not been good news from Fiji this week. The worst part, for those without water, seems to have been that the Water Authority did not keep them informed of what was happening once their announced original 14 hours shutdown for repairs went on and on. Engineers have been working round the clock to fix the problem.  With luck, water should be back on by now.  The shutdown was to allow work on the upgrade of the Kashmir Reservoir to ensure sufficient pressure to supply areas that had received intermittent supply over the past few years. Eight schools were closed and angry parents, inconvenienced by the shutdown, said the Water Authority should have ensured schools were not affected.

N0307.  USP ECONOMIST ON THE $500m BOND LOAN. The Fiji Times has published another short piece on USP's last week&…

N0304. MONETARY POLICY STANCE REMAINS UNCHANGED. Following the meeting of the Reserve Bank of Fiji Board held on 31  March 2011, the Acting Governor and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Barry Whiteside, announced that the current monetary policy stance remains unchanged, with the overnight policy rate maintained at 2 percent.

On international economic conditions, Mr. Whiteside said that the global recovery is expected to continue in 2011, led by favourable outturns in emerging and developing economies. However, possible threats to this outlook include inflationary pressures from higher food and oil prices, escalating debt levels in Europe and the ongoing civil unrest in the Middle East and North African regions. For our major trading partners, the devastating impact of the recent natural disasters in Australia, New Zealand and Japan have led to downward revisions to their 2011 growth rates.

Domestic economic outcomes were mixed in the review period. The Chairman highlighted that while consu…

N0300. BEWARE PALM OIL. The Malaysian Trade Mission visit concerning  the possible development of a palm Oil industry in Fiji should, in this writer's opinion,  be viewed with extreme concern. Oil palm estates I've seen in Johor, Malaysia, and Sumatra in Indonesia showed total replacement of native forests and lost habitat for indigenous animals, and large swathes of exposed sub-soils. Government wishes to bring more land into production in a sustainable manner is, of course, highly commendable, but if SE Asia's record is anything to go by, oil palm is not the way to go without extreme caution and a mountain of safeguards. There are safer and more sustainable uses to which Fiji's presently unproductive land can be put.

A Government release on Wednesday (No:0760/MOI) said "The core land area [the Malaysian] investors are looking at this to begin their business and achieve economies of scale is 30,000 hectares of land, probably in Lomaivuna. “I don’t see any problem…

CHECK OUT WEEKEND READINGS, FRIDAY'S POSTINGS AND THE NEW QUOTE FOR THE WEEK.

N0297. APRIL FOOL.  My April Fool's Day joke on Friday "Breaking News!!!!!!! Bainimarama Regime Toppled" produced opposing responses from readers depending on their sense of humour and political standpoint. They ranged from "Good one, Croz" and "You caught me" to "Not a very funny joke Croz. Nor was it very funny when the elected government was toppled by men with guns in 2006. Please be careful in picking up the ill intentions of other sites to not lose focus.There are plenty of other reports that have proved un true - for example the promise of elections in 2009. The promise of the PER being lifted." It would seem Anon was disappointed the news was false. But, for the record, the "  promises"  were not rumours. They were announced by Government. Both events have been fully covered in this blog.

And here's  another in similar vein: "…

The text of each Pillar of the draft People's Charter (and its more detailed attendant State of the Nation report chapter) is published for discussion each week.To read  the text and discussion on earlier Pillars, type Pillar 1, etc, in the Search facility in the left sidebar.  


Since this Pillar and chapter were published, a number of events have occurred which have made some of their aims difficult, if not impossible to achieve, at least in the short term. These include the Global Recession and drying up of investment, two devastating hurricanes and a major flood, the boycott of Fiji in many international fora, the imposition of sanctions, and the withdrawn of foreign aid and major problems in the sugar industry.  Some observers have also blamed the policies of the Fiji government.  


The intended time-frame for the implementation of each Pillar should  be considered. It was not expected all would be achieved immediately or even in the short-term. Some goals would take much longer…

The New Land Grab in Papua New Guinea By Colin Filer, Australian National University
This article by Colin Filer  is of particular importance to Fiji because it shows what could happen if Government's Land Bank initiatives go pear-shaped.   The Land Bank was established by the Land Use Decree 2010 in which the state actively looks for available land and prospective tenants and acts as an intermediary by leasing land from the owners and  sub-leasing to farmers and investors. Leases are normally for 99 years and rent payments are guaranteed by the state. It seems like a win-win arrangement, but ...

Filer's  article opens ...

It is still commonly asserted that 97 percent of the land in Papua New Guinea  remains under customary ownership, just as it was when PNG gained its independence from Australian colonial rule in 1975 . Indeed, some commentators believe that this abiding reality is a major constraint on the country’s economic development. But there is now some cause for these …

Allen Lockington is a self-employed customs agent and business consultant who has regular articles published in Fiji. I thank Allen for permission to reprint some of them in this political blog. They remind us that life goes on, whatever the political situation. And it's good to know that.

Sugar Price Hike
The price of sugar in Lautoka supermarkets skyrocketed on Tuesday 22 March. I was at the Lautoka market at around 11 am when the wife of a market vendor showed me the cash receipt which read $6.75. One unusual thing about the receipt was that it did not give the unit price or the quantity bought. It just had Sugar and the total amount. And the receipt was not very clear. Someone wrote an article sometime ago about cash register receipts that are printed on thermal paper. Was it done like that so that the price of the items would disappear in a short time?  Receipt need to be in ink that is readable for a long time.

At around 6 pm I was at the Lautoka market and met juice sellers…

WEEKEND READING ♦ Allen Lockington Column  ♦ People's Charter Pillar 5 (Achieving Higher Economic Growth): For Discussion  ♦ Is the PNG Land Grab Relevant to Fiji?

Photo: The University of the South Pacific Laucala Bay campus was built on the RNZF base for Sunderland flying boats which were then the only way to reach many islands in the region by air. The road on the left is Queen Elizabeth Drive that now dissects the upper and lower campus,  and the one from top to bottom of the photo is Laucala Bay Road.

N0292. PUBLIC DISCUSSION IN FIJI .  Restrictions on open debate could be improving in Fiji despite the retention of PER, the emergency regulations.  On Wednesday, USP held a public forum on the large loan recently taken out by Government, Fiji’s Second International Bond Issue. Speakers included Filimone Waqabaca (Ministry of Finance), Dr Mahendra Reddy (Fiji National University), Prof. Warden Narsey (USP), Norman Wilson (ANZ) & Dr. T.K Jayaraman (USP). Notable is the inclus…

N0287. CALLS FOR POLICY CHANGE MOUNTING.  In the last few days we've had Australian Foreign Minister Rudd saying that Australia will not change its approach to Fiji; NZ Foreign Minister McCully wave the carrot of Rugby World Cup attendance if Fiji showed it was serious about elections in 2014; and three Melanesian countries accept Fiji's Roadmap and call for  its re-entry into the Pacific Forum and PACER discussions (see N0290, below).

Now we have Julie Bishop, the Australian Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs, saying Australia's policy of exclusion is not working, and that it should follow the example of the United States and other European countries and review its policies.

'I believe it's time, she said, 'for the Australian government to review its stance on Fiji, particularly time to assess  whether the sanctions imposed on Fiji are working or whether they are potentially counter-productive. We must  consider the impact of the sanctions on the Fijia…

N0280. CHINESE-CONSTRUCTED HYDRO DAM at Nadarivatu in the upper Sigatoka River valley that commenced construction in 2009 is 90% completed and should be finished this year. The dam will be able to store a billion litres of water which will travel through a 2km tunnel to the power station on the river. Power capacity is 41.7 megawatts, equal to an estimated saving of F$50million a year in fuel costs. The construction by the China based Sino-Hydro Corporation.  The dam cost will cost about F$283.2 million (US$155million).

N0281. 90% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2015?The Fiji Electricity Authority hopes new renewable energy initiatives will help it to meet this target, that would cover a peak daily demand of 217 MW (1045 GWh per annum), by 2015.

The projects include the waste-to-energy power generators by iVITI Renewable Disenergy Power Plants, and Pacific Renewable Energy's wood-fired Lautoka plant.

FEA is also investigating wind-farm possibilities for Ovalau, and the use of bagasse from the …

N0274. Two Australian Australian journalists, Graham Davis and Peter Hiscock, comment on their Grubsheet blog about Australia-Fiji-Pacific relations, and how Australia  is missing out in the Pacific.     Click here to the Grubsheet site.

N0268. RUDD: NO CHANGE IN POSITION OR APPROACHES.  Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, cited by the Otago Daily Times, said trans-Tasman  diplomacy calling for democracy in Fiji will continue to be vigorous, and that was often a tendency to focus on what  Australian and New Zealand diplomacy should be doing, rather than putting the onus on Commodore Frank Bainimarama's  military regime. Rudd then went on to talk about Bainimarama sacking its entire judiciary, closing down the media, and not holding elections.

"Bainimarama is the one who must change here ... if he is to  adhere to the standards and the norms of the Pacific Islands Forum, the Commonwealth of Nations, [and] the United Nations." He said Australia and New Zealand were "doing a lot" in pushing for freedom of expression in Fiji, and diplomacy would continue to be active. "It will continue to be vigorous in engaging the Fijian regime. We're not in the business of legitimising what has  bee…

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N0265. SAM SPEIGHT SACKED BY HIS VANUA. Former SDL Cabinet Minister (and elder brother of George Speight who was the frontsman for the 2000 Coup that overthrew the FLP-led Chaudhry Government) was arrested and allegedly beaten two weeks ago for breaking the Public Emergency Regulations and distributing an anti-government DVD made in Australia, and is now seeking political asylum in Australia. He claimed he was distributing the DVD on behalf of the Naloto vanua (clan) of Naloto to which he belongs.

Not so,  said Naloto spokesman Tevita Tamanisau. The people of Naloto were embarrassed by Tikoinasau's comments. At a meeting last week the chiefs of Naloto unanimously agreed to sack Tikonisau as chairman and trustee of the Dritabua Dairy Farmers Co-operative which is owned by the people of Naloto.

The meeting, which was attended by the Tui Naloto and all heads of the landowning units fro…